My Girl
by Eitan
Summary: 3x05 Klaus x Elena Oneshot: Klaus visits Elena in the hospital but before he takes her with him, he sits down and watches her ... NEW: 4x03
1. 3x05

What can I say?

It can't be helped. I'm already in Team Klaus since the last season. Joseph Morgan is an awesome actor and I'm happy that the writers decided to make him one of the main cast. Since this particular episode (_3x05_) I developed a thing for Klaus x Elena. May be because both Nina & Joseph have an incredible chemistry with each and everyone on screen. Best example is the bromance between Stefan & Klaus. The more episodes pass the more I fell in love with Klaus. His character is one of the most interesting at the show and I can't wait to learn more about him and his family history.

About this oneshot: I would have loved to see what would have happend if Klaus made it to Elena's room before Damon showed up. Sooo that's what I think what would have happend...

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><p>~oOo~<p>

_"All I want to do is take my girl, take my hybrid, and get the hell out of this one-pony town"_

~oOo~

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><p>He listened to the gentle and regular rhythm of her heart, to the rustle of her fragile breath and the flow of warm blood that flowed through her veins seductively. It was heavenly music to his ears. He never took the time to listen to the rhythm of life of its victims, but in a rare moment such as this, he was fascinated every single time by the calming effect that humans seemed to radiate in a miraculous way, when they are asleep.<p>

He didn't deny that he preferred listening to the sound of a panicked heartbeat. In particular, if he was the reason for this wild beating, the terse gasping for air. This telltale sound was pure excitement. This was the lure that would awake the hunter in him and in any other vampire. Once on the hunt, it was hard not to surrender to the desire for blood, even if it wasn't the thirst that drove the hunter to take action. A true ripper only craved for the fun of hunting. How wonderful was it to sense the victim's scent, to follow it getting involved into a little role-play with it before the dagger sharp teeth buried themselves in the soft skin of the neck. That was a feeling of elation as it existed on earth not a second time when the tongue reported the slightly bitter taste and the thick, hot substance paved its way down the throat.

Once the air was impregnated with the metallic smell of blood, he could feel it.

It was better than alcohol, better than sex, and in any case better than those fragile feelings of which human hearts could be dominated. He never thought that of all Stefan, the one he had admired for his bloody methods and for his macabre games would suppress his vampiric side and be dominated by these feelings. He had decided to feel, to endure the pain and the burden of his existence, instead of switching it off. Or at least pretending as if he'd turned it off.

Klaus knew it was impossible. Even if a vampire wanted he couldn't turn it off to feel. Over the centuries, Klaus had learned to bury his feelings deep inside so that they only now and then, when he completely lost control had the chance to come to light. It was the part of him that knew how to cause him the most anguish. That wasn't always so. Not always had Klaus considered feelings to be a vampire's greatest weakness. Not always had Klaus considered it as weakness to love and be loved.

At some point, everything changed. A name crossed his mind.

His upper lip curled menacingly. _She_ was nothing more than a shadow of the past. She was dead and he wanted it to stay like this.

It would be more than enticing to let this part go, to be able to ignore it completely. Some vampires lived that way for a longer period of time and especially those who already possessed a rather cold heart as a human had no problems to eke their existence in this way for even a whole human life. Klaus was able to get this damn part silenced, but that didn't change the fact that he was aware of the presence of his humanity in every single minute of his existence.

How he hated it.

His eyes fall on the doppelganger.

_Elena_.

How quietly and peacefully she slept. One might think the person who had intended her life to no longer belong to herself wouldn't sit right next to her bed. One would think the person who could take her everything, if he wanted to, would have suddenly decided to not make her life a living hell.

He watched her vigilant. Maybe she slept even in this situation so relaxed and peaceful, because she knew there were people who were willing without hesitation to sacrifice their lives for her. She knew she was loved. No matter what she did, or what others did to her, nothing could change that fact. A circumstance born to be timeless and powerful.

He had time.

Everything worked great and very satisfactory. To be honest it had even worked out better than expected. Not only had he finally managed to create his first hybrid, also the key could now be regarded as his own personal property. It was almost amusing how things had worked out for him. And all he owed to the doppelganger, who didn't want to die and therefore had left the gate open for him to be able to realize his plan after all. O glorious irony of fate! Normally he didn't believe in fate, but this time it seemed to be clearly more than a mere series of coincidences.

Klaus smiled wolfish. The world was open to him. All he had to do was to ensure that his little, sweet Elena stayed alive. A task which, now that Stefan was completely under his control didn't even deserve to be called 'task'. Besides neither of the two brothers would ever allow that anything happened to the girl they loved. Klaus had witnessed how sacrificially both the Salvatore brothers had defended her. Both would die for her. Without hesitation. Both would protect Elena until the end of their life.

In a way he could understand this fascination, as well as this indescribably deep love that both Stefan and Damon felt for doppelganger. Like all Petrova descendants Elena also had this distinctive aura that would make it nearly impossible to escape her. It was difficult to avert her eyes or not to succumb to her natural charm. Just as Katerina was Elena also beautiful. A beauty that gave one the idea that all Petrova had sprung from the womb of a goddess.

And yet ... and yet wanted Klaus not to admit that Elena was so different than all Petrova, whom he had met until now.

He didn't know what it was. Perhaps it was the dazzling rays in her dark brown, almost black eyes, which had too much passion for the gentle expression she showed all the time. They were eyes that one either immediately loathed or loved with all his heart. Perhaps it was the flawless skin that had naturally an appealing sheen tempting one to touch its owner. Or were it her full, slightly parted lips, of which he had watched them scream, cry and laugh irresistible.

Klaus smiled. Indeed. She was a true Petrova. Everything she did or said was designed to look attractive. Unlike Katerina Elena didn't use this weapon. He didn't think it was because she wasn't aware of her stunning appearance. Rather, he suggested that her good-natured and decent heart prohibited her to use it for her own goals.

That or she just didn't want to. She didn't like playing games. She was someone, who could see quickly behind the masks and refused to be fooled by others.

She was special.

A word he would never have used to describe Katerina. What was so special about Elena wasn't her beauty but her deeds. In contrast to Katerina Elena has never run away from him. Not once, not for one second. She knew what would happen if she did. She was the smart, brave and unselfish, most emotionally controlled human, whom he had met in more than a thousand years. That's why she was special.

Elena Gilbert behaved differently than all the people he had ever met. Someone like her one only found once in his whole life. It was right to hold on to such a love.

Klaus could understand that. Better than Stefan or Damon would trust him. If he were in their place, he would also have done everything to protect her. Finally, he had experienced exactly the same as they do. He knew how the story also could've ended.

Again his eyes were on her sleeping form. He would never admit it, but he envied the Salvatore brothers. They did not only enjoy the love of such a great woman, but also shared an inseparable bond of brotherhood that had passed every challenge and every threat over the decades. This brotherhood was as strong as the love they felt for the doppelganger. Some souls were destined to outlast the ages, to find themselves. These three were linked and would probably always will be.

Yes, he envied them. He hated them for it.

Klaus sat up. Time was up. He didn't want to wait any longer. The more he waited, the more he let his mind wander in one direction, with which he had already enclosed centuries ago. The time couldn't heal wounds.

Whoever had planted this wisdom into the minds of mankind has certainly not been a vampire. Otherwise he wouldn't feel the pain.

Naturally, as if he'd belong there, he sat down beside her on the hospital bed. With his left hand he held himself over her motionless body as he leaned forward slightly. After only a few centimeters the wonderful smell of her body began to caress him seductively. It was her very own scent, which he could reconcile with the intoxicating taste of her blood, but outside of her veins it smelled weaker and much sweeter. Which didn't mean that it wasn't also as tempting. It was the fragrance mix, which he had in his nose since he had met her the first time. Now that the wolfish side in him had been awakened he was able to dive into the whole spectrum of fragrances that was Elena Gilbert. She smelled amazing.

Like a young brook in the middle of the coldest winter, kissed tender at one point by the rays of the sun, but covered in a different place bittersweet from a pine resin.

She smelled of childhood. After the world as it was when Klaus wandered through dense, pristine forests in the heart of Britain. It was a dangerous scent.

He had to touch her. An impulse, which the wolf defended against the vampire. He had to give in and feel the warmth of her skin, and the life underneath.

His right hand reached lost in thought her cheek. It was such a natural gesture that for one moment he forgot the reality around them. Almost automatically, he stroked his thumb over the soft skin, while his other fingers clung fondly to the fine contour of her head.

Suddenly her eyes began to twitch slightly, and the brief, rapidly successive beating of her heart told him that she was about to regain consciousness.

"Stefan.", she murmured dreamily and Klaus couldn't resist a devilish grin. He studied her face and what he saw wanted to make him believe for a moment that it wasn't an abstruse form of jealousy, which accompanied his grin.

"Try again, sleeping beauty.", he replied in an amused smoky tone. Satisfied, he registered, that her pulse was now suddenly faster. She began to blink and to fight against the exhaustion that held her body tightly.

"Klaus.", she muttered softly, with her brow furrowed confused together. "What are you doing here?"

"Make sure that my new best friend is well cared for.", he said still grinning. "Turns out, you're alive much more valuable for me than dead."

Her features were still relaxed, almost as if she hadn't quite understood the extent of her situation, but the agitated, almost panicked beating of her heart spoke a different language. Her breathing was no longer quiet, but short, excited intervals.

Klaus knew these signs. He knew what she was feeling was exquisite, wonderful fear. The effect was instantly on her scent. Klaus felt how from one second to the other a painful burning started in his throat. She was the purest aphrodisiac. He didn't even think that she was afraid of him, just before what he wanted from her and what he planned to do. Alone, that he was here and not her beloved Stefan or Damon said more than everything else. Klaus could almost see how her mind was racing. Eventually she came to a conclusion that she didn't seem to like at all.

"What do you want?" Only now she opened her eyes and confronted him with that sparkling pair of eyes that now even though it was marked by fatigue, had lost nothing of its fascination. She didn't seem to be surprised to see him so close. He was close enough to cause her discomfort or to be able to kill her with one blow. Presumably, his voice had told her where he was.

Klaus cocked his head. He smiled at her as if she were the most precious treasure he had ever allowed to call his own. His dimples showed themselves at their best and almost deceived over the danger of its owner.

It would be so easy to fall in love with such a smile.

"Nothing earth shattering. Basically just my hybrid and you and a lot of miles between us and Mystic Falls."

"No.", she said so quietly that if he were not a vampire, wouldn't have heard it. "What do you want with me?"

He returned her gaze. "Nothing that will harm you, my dear. On the contrary."

Elena snorted. Her eyes seemed to gain every second more vitality. "A few hours ago you were going to kill by the hands of my boyfriend. Why the sudden change? I want to know what you're up to."

"I hate it when something of the past stands between us.", Klaus replied in a played serious tone, which was crowned with a glance a la Damon and which induced Elena despite the nagging exhaustion to raise her left eyebrow. Did he just now flirt with her? Klaus and flirting was a combination that Elena could not easily put in one sentence.

"There's a reason why you're here.", she continued seriously, "And we both know it's not because you missed my incredibly charming company." Her eyes bored deep into his own. Not once did she brake the contact. She was aware that he could take advantage of her vulnerable situation and could compel her at any time. He could just make her forget. Make her forget about loving Stefan and the existence of vampires and werewolves. Maybe that was the reason why he was here. No. That wasn't it. If he wanted her out of the way, he would just kill her.

"So, what it is that you want from me?"

For a moment it seemed as if he wanted to continue to sit beside her, watching her with an amused smile. But then suddenly his hand grabbed something that lay on the bedside table next to her.

Elena's eyes widened in horror when he showed her with some satisfaction and complacency what it was that he wanted. Her lips parted.

"What did you-"

"I've asked you to a small, involuntary donation. I hope that you do not mind." , he interrupted, smiling, looking so elegant and charming that you'd think he would present her a gift.

With a gaze, her eyes were fixed on the blood bag. Her eyes wandered down to her left arm. A desperate sound escaped her lips when she saw the fine needle, stuck there in one of her veins and about to fill another bag with her blood.

Klaus followed her gaze. "After the first bag we had to wait a while before we could connect you to a second. We do not want to worsen your condition."

The emotions that flitted across her face in no time were simply delicious. Never in her life she had felt something like this. She couldn't name it. It was an ugly mixture of fear, anger, shame and helplessness.

As in madness her right hand grabbed the needle and wanted to tear it in the same heartbeat from her arm yet another hand held her own one back with surprising gentle pressure. The skin of these hand was soft and not surprisingly cold, but by a soothing, relaxing warmth, which stood in stark contrast to everything else, with which Elena would associate Klaus.

Angrily, she raised her eyes and Klaus threw a withering look. His eyes, however, were soft, but unmistakable warning. 'If I were you I wouldn't do that' told her these dark lakes of icy blue, which seemed to be as cold as his character. Until that moment she had never noticed that Klaus had blue eyes. It was an intense colour Elena could easily in accordance with his unbroken determination and yet it was clearly not a pure blue. In between, an equally powerful forest green was mixed, which was not fighting for supremacy with the blue, but melted into a unique blend.

"I thought this way it would be much more pleasant. As I see my bite marks have still not disappeared."

His hands let go of her hand. Elena drew a sharp breath as his fingers instead touched feather-light the two dagger-shaped holes on the left side of her neck. It seemed as if he was immensely fascinated by the results of his teeth.

"Why don't let you heal them?", he asked in a whisper, while his fingers absently stroked the wound again. A deep, rough voice, trying to do strange things with the region below her navel.

"I don't want to forget the pain.", Elena replied coolly, and again his eyes sought hers. As always, she held his gaze, as if he could do nothing to harm her. He liked this look. It was refreshing and challenging.

"I wished Ellijah would have killed you.", she whispered in disgust, and for the first time the broad smile froze on his lips. In a blink his eyes became hard and cold.

"He didn't want to kill me. Any more than I ever wanted to kill him." ,he growled, his eyes flickered briefly in a threatening yellow.

He leaned forward again and Elena winced. Rapidly her heart began to pound excitedly against her chest, as if it would aim to break through.

"You, my hybrid and me. We will leave Mystic Falls tonight."

Despite the anger that blazed in his eyes, his voice was pleasantly mild, as if he were talking to a young child, he didn't want to scare. However, the way he said it was unmistakably imploring, as if he wanted to compel her. A shiver ran down her back.

"Thanks to your blood, I'll finally be able to create hybrids."

Her brows drew together immediately. She looked at him suddenly in a way that he could not interpret. Her lips opened timidly, as if she had to rethink exactly what she wanted to say.

"It- it's that what this is all about?" , Elena said softly and tenderly, that he momentarily forgot the perpetrator-victim relationship they were in. "You just don't want to be the only one?" It was formulated as a question, but sounded like a statement. A statement which was highlighted with a hint of emotion that only could be described as pity. Klaus could see how she already had taken the next logical step, before he could reply.

She was wrong. That was never the reason.

"The original witch pretty much hated me. She knew I would do the opposite of what she said and that I would anything to break the curse."

"She must have known you pretty well.", Elena added, after a few seconds of silence were pulled past them and the situation threatened to turn into an awkward silence.

"Indeed. She did.", he replied coolly. The direction that this conversation had taken, pleased him not at all.

"What did you do?"

"Something that's none of your business, my love.", he replied gruffly. She not even made a face.

"What will happen to your sister, if you go away?", she wanted to know and Klaus asked himself the question when he had allowed that his attempt to get the doppelganger out of the realm of dreams had turned into a question and answer session.

"If _we_ go away.", he corrected her with a wolfish grin, which emerged his dimples again. "She'll leave this us…or should I leave her with Stefan?"

"Leave Stefan out of the game!", she snapped instantly with suppressed anger. Klaus chuckled.

"Stefan will remain here in Mystic Falls to have an eye on his brother and your friends."

The message that emerged clearly from these innocuous words was unmistakable. Stefan stayed here first to prevent her friends from doing any reckless rescue missions and second to ensure Elena's loyalty through his presence. Would she try to escape, Stefan would be instructed to harm one of her friends. That was for sure.

"Why do you want me to come with you at all? You have what you need. You could compel Stefan to look after me."

The hope that resonated in her weakened voice seduced him almost to laugh out loud. She wouldn't give up. Never. She would fight. And if it were the last thing she did.

"Why leave the source behind if you can simply take it?"

"I won't let you use me."

"I know." , replied he and Elena's eyes narrowed, "That's what makes the whole thing so interesting."

He gave her a smile that could have been called may be lovingly in other circumstances. Elena wondered what would happen to her when he had put his plans into action. Would he let her go? Unlikely. Would he turn into a vampire? She didn't believe that he would welcome a sort of second Katherine in the world. Would he compel her? He was a man of his words. What will he do as soon as enough time had come and gone?

"You know I won't run.", Elena began and Klaus nodded almost imperceptibly, "However, if you want my loyalty, you must give me a promise."

He had expected as much. She could just play with him as he could play with her. She had found out his weak point and he would do better to compel instead of making a deal with her. On the other hand: she won't use this knowledge against him. When it came down to things like that she was easy to read. After all she wasn't Katerina.

"Agreed." , he said, eyeing her with a wary look in his blue green eyes. "What do you have in mind?"

"I'm coming with you and I'll serve you as long as you need me. In return, you'll let go of Stefan."

Klaus returned the intense look in her eyes. She had exactly the same determination as he does. If she wanted something, she would achieve it.

He leaned a little forward.

"Deal.", he whispered in her ear, and Elena could not suppress the unpleasant showers, which ran down her back. To know him so close, gave her a kind of uneasiness, which was seized by the border between very exciting and frightening. It was the kind of closeness that you should only share with someone you trusted with all your heart. She took a deep breath and froze.

There it was. It was so intense that her heart beat give out a moment.

That smell of wild, from the dew-kissed forests and infinitely long, fresh meadows, where no man has ever walked before. He smelled of blooms and needles and after sun after rain, mixed with an undeniable trace of masculinity which sent out a signal that showed her not only the immediate danger which he portrayed as a vampire. All her senses were suddenly tense, as she was instinctively aware that it was not the fear of a victim, which was faced with its hunter what took possession of her. It was the fear of a female who felt that the moment had come where her mate would claim her. This message was not only rooted in his scent, it was also reflected in the aura that surrounded him.

Elena swallowed. "Stop it.," she said weakly.

Klaus let himself fall back with a surprised expression so that he could have a better look at her.

"What should I stop?", he asked amazed and it was so absurd to see Klaus surprised that Elena would have almost believed him.

"Your scent." ,she replied impatiently, as it ought to be obvious, "Why are you doing this?"

He raised an eyebrow, and watched her very closely. Finally he seemed to understand what she wanted.

"Looks as if the wolf no longer wants to stay quiet.", he said softly. He looked at Elena, as he would see her for the first time.

"An annoying side effect, I fear. I've suspected it, but never thought that it could actually happen."

"What are you talking about?" Elena couldn't understand at all what he was getting at.

Klaus smiled. It was an indulgent, almost tender smile. "This wolfish site is very instinct-driven. I still cannot always dominate it, so the wolf believes he has to remind me that he's now also a part of me."

Elena's lips opened a crack, but she found no words to express her racing thoughts.

_Wolves_.

Wolves were pack animals. Young wolves went when they had reached a certain age to wander, in order to find their own territory and their own mate with whom they could then start a new pack.

_Oh._

That was definitely a thought she would not think through.

"Don't worry, _my dear_. ", Klaus said calmly, who had decoded the expressions on her face. "I'm not planning to give in into my wolfish instincts."

With these words he leaned forward again. It was a gesture that seemed to underline clearly the opposite of his words. Elena began to squirm uneasily, but she was too weak to be able to escape from him in some way. When he shielded her with his entire body, she felt the comforting warmth emanating from his body to hers. Her heart began to beat irregularly. Only a few millimeters separated his face from her. He studied her in detail and took in every little movement, every twitch of her mouth. Finally, he allowed it.

Very carefully, as if she could break under his touch, he pressed his lips to her forehead.

Elena drew a sharp breath.

He_ kissed_ her.

Klaus kissed her.

She didn't want it. She wanted to push him away. She wanted to scream at him, but his intense scent clouded her senses. Suddenly he leaned back again, almost as if he had burned himself. He didn't look at her, but rolled his eyes annoyed. A knowing smile spread in the same moment on his lips.

"Look who finally decided to show up on the party.", he said calmly and slowly got up from bed.

Only now could Elena see, that someone was standing in the doorway of her hospital room.

"_Damon_." , she greeted him quietly and let his eyes wander to her shortly before he fixed them back with devastating hardship on Klaus. Bare anger flared in his dark eyes and his lips curled into a snarl-threatening.

"You know, I promised your brother that I won't kill you, but I fear I won't be able to keep it this time."

Without responding to his words, Damon bent down to Elena, but he couldn't even manage to touch her because he was already grabbed by Klaus around the neck and pushed against the nearest wall.

"I won't let you interfere tonight."

"You'll have to kill me.", Damon growled, which elicited an amused laugh from Klaus.

"With pleasure.", replied the elder vampire coldly and pressed shut more strongly, while Damon squirmed in his grasp.

"I know about Mikael.", Damon gasped, just as Klaus wanted to go back with his other hand to the final stroke.

He paused. His face darkened. A disparaging hiss escaped his lips. "What do you know about Mikael?"

"Only that he knows you're here." ,Damon said in a singsong voice.

In Klaus' eyes flashed suddenly uncertainty. He looked at Damon with strained expression, which reached close to fear. "You're bluffing." , he growled.

"Katherine and I found him."

Klaus nervously turned his head slightly back and forth, unsure what to do. Finally, he let out an angry cry and threw Damon across the room. Even before Damon was able to get up again Klaus had disappeared.

_Mikael._

That was a turn of events that didn't fit him at all.

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><p><strong>TBC<strong>...probably, may be.


	2. 4x03

**Spoiler Season**** 4**_  
><em>

My dear Sweethearts,

I can't tell you guys how sorry I am for making you wait two (!) years for a new chapter- that's pretty creepy if you think about. What the hell happened? I'd say life was busy coming at me. I had some troubles with my study, it took me one year to write my fantasy novel, I had to face private issues and on top of all that I somehow drasticaly lost my passion for TVD around the middle of the 4th season. It's almost ironic that the only thing at the moment that keeps me watching is the interaction between Klaus and Caroline. Never thought I'd say this, but they are freakin' adorable.

_Nontheless:_

After the 3rd episode of season 4 I couldn't hold back anymore! I just had to write some Klaus x Elena stuff and seriously, the Klaus healing Elena scene was too awesome to let it pass. Besides I was in high spirits after all those great comments you guys had in store for me! Amazing! Each and every single one of you is amazing! Never forget that! I also would like to use this moment to say: **Thank you so much! **For me as a writer there is no greater joy than to see my goal achieved: my reader being happy.

_About this chapter:_

This chapter is written from Elena's point of view. No main reason. I only thought it fitted the scene better. Also I wanted to test whether I'm able to write from her point of view- I think it turned out to be a little too Au, but that's for you to decide.

Some of you also wanted to know what I have planned for this one-shot, story, or what-ever-you-wanna-call-it. Actually, I'm only going to rewrite every remarkable Klaus x Elena interaction adding a little bit of imagination a la _What if..._ I will stick to the progress and plots of the show, which is why I try to let Elena & Co be in character as much as possible. I want it to be as close to the show as possible. I want to play with thoughts of what would happen, if the show would shift Elena's focus/ interesst from Stefan & Damon towards Klaus.

As always have a nice reading and let me know what you think- your thoughts are very much appreciated!

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><p>~oOo~<p>

_"Truth be told, I'm as evil as it gets."  
>- Klaus<em>

~oOo~

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><p>She felt the mattress sinking in next to her. A second later the familiar scent trailed much stronger along her nose. Dazed Elena opened her eyes and winced inwardly.<p>

It wasn't Stefan, sitting in front of her and observing her with a worried look across his face. She blinked irritated, but he would vanish as little as the pounding in her head scratching with sharp claws along the inside of her skull.

"Why am I thinking about you?", she wondered gently, but in a tone as if she wasn't expecting any reply at all.

An unmistakable _Now_ was in her thoughts attached to the end of the sentence. Elena couldn't explain where it came from much less what its concrete meaning hold. She recalled both Rose and Damon were tortured by hallucinations once the wolf's venom had settled down in their systems. The closer they had come to death the worse those hallucinations had been.

At this very moment she saw Damon- clearer than anything else her disoriented and by wolf's venom mocked mind was capable of informing her. Elena couldn't quite figure it out, but at the same time a strange feeling was overcoming her- it was a mixture between happiness and relief. In a very disturbing most complicated way she was happy and relieved to see him of all people. Her stomach twitched. True Stefan was with her, but it didn't feel as if he were actually there. No wonder her mind decided to wander.

"Because, you're now a vampire." ,he replied just as gentle and his eyes, his breath-taking beautiful eyes looked right into her without trouble.

That's what he always did- since the very first day on; even when Elena hadn't been supposed to know him yet. He didn't need to read her. Damon knew what was going on in her. _Always_- from the moment they had met each other. He had seen her and realized her for what she was.

_It maybe…if you and me had met first-_

_It maybe_

These words held now a entirely new meaning. Damon was under her skin in a way no one else has ever been before. It wasn't just that he was with her- he was _in_ her. He wasn't just part of her life- he lived it _with_ her. It was always her. No one else. For him there was only her.

_So, Damon, tell me: what is it that I want?_

_You want a love that consumes you. You want passion and adventure and even a little danger. _

At once her breath turned quicker and deeper- the most treacherous sign of all.

"A part of you knows you're a lot more like me than you're like him."

It was an echo. Elena not only noticed the truth behind his words, but also was aware of how they resounded in her. A part of her, and she couldn't tell whether it was her soul or the vampire, responded immediately. Of course she could blame the fact that her emotions were now heightened and that they forced her to look at things from a different angle, but that was not what she wanted. Damon was right. Actually he had always been right. Unfortunately she had never been ready to accept it- to accept _him_.

_Damon, why didn't you tell me?_

_Would it have made difference? –Didn't think so._

Elena closed her eyes to escape the gray haze that accompanied by a dull pierce pushed itself into her consciousness. Exact then_, _when her vision started to spin, she heard footsteps. They sounded loud and quiet, harsh and funny blurred, as if they came from a badly tuned radio. The mattress moved again. Damon disappeared.

"You came."

Stefan.

Out of the blue another scent danced playfully around her nose- a scent she already as human had thought to be extraordinary attractive, but now due to her heightened senses it seemed to be even more lasting. It started to tingle- in her nose, her throat, above all in her blood. There was no doubt. Even if he hadn't raised his voice in the next heartbeat Elena still would have known who had just entered the room.

"I did." ,she heard Klaus saying in his usual, smugly tone, which uncovered the grin on his face. "And for future reverence: one voicemail is just as effective as nine."

Right at this moment a new and harder wave of pain rolled over Elena. Her body cramped. She groaned, even briefly bared her teeth. An unreal tone vibrated in her throat.

Klaus faltered. The way his voice slightly broke away told her that much. Without paying attention to the nasty sting in her head Elena forced herself to open her eyes a tiny little bit. The initially satisfaction on his face was gone. The glowing, fiery expression in his blue-green eyes died. It was replaced by a dullness Elena would have interpreted by any other living creature as some sign of honest concern.

She was about to ask herself if her dying mind had played her yet another prank, when the same creepy sounding concern could also be detected in his voice: "What's wrong, love?"

"She has werewolf venom in her system." answered Stefan. He paused. "You know you are the only one that can heal her. Klaus, please."

It was plain obvious how much it displeased him to have to ask Klaus for help. Would it be any different for her? Probably not. Would Klaus help her saving Stefan's life? She didn't know- she couldn't tell. In fact there was nothing she could offer him in return and that was the point, which was responsible for Stefan's misery. Why on earth should Klaus have even the slightest interest in her being alive? She wasn't human anymore ergo she was no longer of any importance to him; however she didn't want to die- at least not anymore. _Jeremy_. She couldn't leave him alone. She was everything he had left and for the moment he was the only thing that kept her from falling apart. He was her humanity. If she had to choose between Klaus and certain death, she now would pick the lesser evil. Not long ago this would have been death.

A wolfish grin sneaked on Klaus' lips- one, Elena had seen countless times before. In contrast to earlier times it didn't scare her anymore. It was as much a part of him as the fragile vulnerability he only allowed to show in very rare moments.

An image flashed through her head. Blue-green eyes, covered up by a nameless, deep sorrow and a soul, that had done too many things, endured too many things and had seen too many things to ever heal again. It had touched her, this sight- to see him like that, although not strong enough to make her understand him.

She had offered him Rebekah in exchange for Jeremy's safety. He had taken it too far, had told her, he wouldn't stop at nothing until all her friends were dead if she didn't help him finding Stefan. Already at that time, when she answered him with trembling voice, that Stefan didn't care any longer for her, because he made sure of that, Elena had spotted something in Klaus' eyes she hadn't expected to find. It didn't bloom until she had rubbed it under his nose that Rebekah now knew who had really killed their mother. Back then she felt sorry for Klaus, although she refused to understand why he had taken this despicable path.

"And what would you've done if I were no longer here? Hm?" , he challenged Stefan. The anger in his voice was increasing word by word. "If you and your friends succeeded in riding the world of me? Let's play that game for a moment, shall we?"

"What do you wa-"

"I don't want anything from you!" , snapped Klaus with such hostility- the delicate hairs on Elena's arms bristled. The air was suddenly electrified- like a thunderstorm that hasn't started to rage yet, but that was spreading its dark wings faster and faster across the horizon. For a second the world held its breath. Neither Stefan nor Klaus moved. Then, before the moment ended Klaus continued with a distinctly warmer tone, deceiving no one: "Her on the other hand…"

Immediately Elena's pulse quickened and not only because her senses passed the alarming information to her that someone suddenly was approaching her, fast but smoothly. Judging by the scent of wildness, which gained intensity with each step, it could only be Klaus.

"If you had told me a few hours ago I wouldn't have cared a lick about her dying."

Even if he hadn't taken the place right next to her Elena still would have been able to locate his presence. His body heat was like glimmering sunbeam- pleasantly strong and so warm she wanted to wrap it around her and lose herself in it. Was she mistaken, or was the mist finally dissolving? The hybrid was sitting so closely next to her she only had to shift a finger's breadth and their bodies would touch.

"But as it turns out…"

A hand tenderly slung around her left shoulder, whilst the foreign body drew closer. She felt it outright and in a way her human body would have never been able to. Klaus pressed her carefully, but firmly against him. It was soothing, somnolent almost if it weren't for her heart, which at first contact decided to take a rapid beat, as if it wanted to prepare her body for an attack.

"…you may be of use to me after all."

It was exactly this sentence in combination with the movement of his thumb on her upper arm that made her open her eyes entirely. Right in front of her, merely centimeters away hovered a wrist. Something stirred in her. It made a short, demanding leap and was so powerful that her blood began to boil from one second to the next. There she was again- the huntress. The new side of her- superior, greedy and totally in love with life.

"Drink." , commanded Klaus in a slightly purred tone.

His wrist stayed invitingly in front of her. Like a green snake on sand stood the pulsating vein out. Tempting. Elena noticed the pounding of his heart next to her ears and was fascinated by how the artery arched to the same rhythm against the pale skin. The tingling in her throat became more urgent, almost unbearable. It was a sight as cunning in seduction as the man it was servant to. And the message was clear: Klaus wouldn't simply give her his blood- he wanted her to take on her own account.

"What's going on, Klaus?" , Stefan asked icy more or less growling.

"I'm saving her life." , came the hybrid's calm reply.

Again was his thumb drawing absent-minded circles on her upper arm. This caressing gesture wasn't the most unusual way with which Klaus has ever disturbed her personal bubble, but now all of a sudden it seemed to her, as if this situation, this nearness had always existed between them, as if Elena would have never came across his dark, bloodthirsty side. It was as if him and her belonged here, as if this caring, vulnerable Klaus was the real Klaus. Something was in the air, something Elena already had picked up a couple of times in Klaus' presence- like mutual understanding that didn't have to be addressed nor justified. It was just there and didn't seem to play with the thought of ever wanting to disappear. Was it because she was the doppelganger of the woman, whose blood was used a thousand years ago not only to create the originals but also to ban Klaus' werewolf side?

Stefan stayed calm. Too calm. Elena knew that kind of calmness- it meant that someone was about to do something incredibly stupid. She couldn't take her eyes off the dancing vein to shoot him a _Don't think about it _glance, that might have prevented him of getting carried away. She was utterly occupied by the prickling anticipation Klaus' alluring scent was causing. Tasted his blood as wild as it smelled? Her fangs were at the edge of bursting out. Only a tiny piece of thread, perhaps as thick as a single hair was the last barrier, which kept her from giving in to her bloodthirst. She wanted this. She wanted_ him_. Now-

"Elena won't drink from you on her own, Klaus."

Anger vibrated in Stefan's voice. It was so striking it almost swallowed both the message in between the lines and the threat.

On her own? In the first seconds Elena struggled to comprehend why Stefan was so upset- not only because her bloodthirst and her pain knew all too well how to avert it. But then there was a voice. It was strong enough to come on top of the growing scratching in her throat and the grey haze in her head: _Blood sharing is kinda…personal._

Blood sharing…how Damon did it; and to take it…how Elena did it. Her heart dropped.

Oh.

"In all respects to your claim, Stefan, but yes, indeed I think she will.", Klaus replied smiling. His tone treated itself to a touch of sharpness. "This or she dies. Her decision."

"You-"

"Stefan."

Her voice sounded rugged and nothing like her, but it contained a clear warning as well as a silent request, which couldn't be ignored. Stefan paused. His eyes focused on Elena, who opened up to this look, while searching her thoughts for the most convenient words. An amused, quiet hum sounded in Klaus' chest. She could hear how he prepared for an impish comment a la Klaus. Elena cut him off, before one tone escaped. Unfortunately her voice sounded not as harsh as intended: "Why do you want me to take your blood? What difference would it make?"

Thinking about this triggered an excitement, which made her swallow even harder.

"Do you think it will make a difference?", Klaus asked challenging and moved his wrist slightly.

This alone was enough motivation to turn Elena's attention from Stefan away. At once her eyes were again fixed on the delicious vein. It tingled in her nose. The grasp she had on her self-control became weaker with every beat of her pulse. There was nothing more important than to drink blood. His blood. Nothing, absolutely nothing. Elena heard her next words, but she couldn't recall to have decided them. It was as if someone else was saying them for her: "Stefan, leave us."

She didn't find it in her heart to look at him, when she said it. Klaus chuckled. His chest rose and fell enough to cause a queasy feeling in her stomach. Stefan didn't answer nor move. The seconds ticked by, held on and became unbearable. In a sudden she foamed with rage like fire roused by wind- something she would never have felt as human in exactly the same situation. Frustration, sure, but certainly no anger.

"Go. _NOW_." , Elena could feel how the last bit of control was slipping out of her fingers.

"You don't know what it means.", Stefan insisted calmly. "Sharing blood is-"

"I know.", Elena snapped at him with a growl, regretting it half a second later.

It's official. Her humanity was now fiercely struggling against her vampire nature. No side willing to give in. So, was this the battle she would have to face, fight, win and lose day in and out for all eternity?

"I know.", she mumbled again, much softer, sounding more like her old-self.

"I really hate to break off your sweet little love quarrel.", interrupted Klaus apparently bored, "But in contrary to what you two might assume I do have in fact other and definitely more important things to attend." Elena couldn't fail to notice how his index finger lightheartedly travelled from her upper arm towards her neck. "Ready when you are, love."

In one blink Stefan was standing in the middle of the bedroom and the next he was sitting right in front of them. Neither the Original nor Elena winced, Elena felt Klaus tensing, though. Stefan's eyes roamed thoughtfully over her face. Elena on the other hand couldn't risk looking at him.

"Elena…hey, look at me.", Stefan begged, his tone as affectionate as the expression in his dark eyes. He reached for her cheek.

There was a time for everything. A time for dancing, singing, laughing. A time for grieving, for sadness and forgiveness. And there was a time for love and need. She needed him- had needed him. _Once_. Back then she gladly had appreciated every loving gesture he offered her- it had elicited a snug sensation in her she never thought after her parent's death she would ever be able to feel again. Even now she still felt his love, but the part of her that once had been equally responding to it now seemed to be dead as a doornail- it not even hushed a whisper. God, how badly she wanted to tell Stefan how afraid she was of loosing herself; wanted to entrust him that she didn't believe she could make it without human blood- but something deep inside of her held her pack.

"It's gonna be all right."

Her eyes shot upwards wide open in surprise. _Damon_. His caring look brushed over her form so full of love as if it were their last night together on earth. An optimistic smirk formed on his lips, still his eyes hold so much more. Elena swallowed. An endless happiness was starting to fight its way up to the surface.

"Trust me."

The moment Damon placed his right hand encouraging on her wrist guiding her towards Klaus' arm Elena heard her own heartbeat storming like an inferno in her ears. Before Damon let go of her, Elena's grip grew instinctively firmer around Klaus' wrist and she sank her fangs into his warm flesh.

"Mhhhhmm…yes." , Klaus breathed close to her head, while his finger were starting to caress her hair. In addition the upper part of his body rocked her forth and back, like one would do to lull a child to sleep. "That's it."

Elena shuddered. Whether it was, because of the vibrato in his voice or the intimate gesture she couldn't tell. Her thoughts were flooded. She knew she had to pay attention- she couldn't drink too much otherwise she would hopelessly get drunk in no time- she didn't plan getting drunk by Klaus. She had gotten drunk by Damon when he had let her drink from him. She hadn't wasted one thought about the consequences until she had bitten down- she had lost herself in the sensation. Just like with Damon her heart was now also racing- from the second the first drop of blood ran down her throat all her senses seemed to awake from a long slumber. Excitement turned her stomach upside down. A powerful feeling of invincibility strived after convincing her to do reckless things, whilst a passion Elena only knew in moments of blooming ecstasy was dancing in her veins.

An image flickered in her head. Also something she wasn't used to from her human life: memories and the emotions connected to them were so crystal-clear and fresh as if happened only seconds ago. As a human it had been easy to shove them away, because the details no matter how catchy the event had been, had never been complete. Additionally they had been rather blurred. But now it was as if every memory, every single thought and every event was converted into a short movie she could play and recall whenever she felt like it.

She was in hospital again. Her body felt strangely heavy. Once again she was wrapped around this wild scent of forest kissed by dew, young meadows and earthy leaves. It was so intense that her throat started to ache like hell. Again. And then there was this sensation- the sensation of lips carefully pressed against her forehead, as if they wanted to wish good-night. What Elena as a human hadn't been willing to come to terms with was forcing itself now on her as a vampire: the calming presence of Klaus' body close to her own, the delicious warmth radiating from his skin and the irregular rhythm of her heart. She had shrugged it off as panic, but now she could identify it for what it really had been: pure, bitter-sweet anticipation.

_Don't be scared, sweetheart._

Klaus giggled and it was certainly not part of her memories. Something in Elena came back to its senses- fast. She backed so hasty away from him that her fangs ripped the delicate skin of his wrists further apart, clearly leaving ugly marks. Her head played with the thought of bursting into two pieces while her limps were screaming and wincing- still she jumped up. In the next second she was standing in the centre of the room, panting, her eyes deadly fixed on Klaus. With the back of her hand she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

"What the hell was that?!", Elena demanded furiously. Klaus answered with a chuckle and stretched out on the bed in a mocking manner. His eyes searched her face, a superior grin on his lips.

"Oh my God! Are we…I mean…?!"

Her voice was oddly high bitched and hysterical. Klaus observed her horror with a charming smile, presenting his dimples in all their glory. An expression which confirmed her suspicions only more.

"Is my assumption correct that it's not the overwhelming feeling quite similar to an orgasm which is putting you in such a rage?"

She was on the edge of wiping this superior grin from his face. Since she couldn't trust her hands in that matter she crossed them in front of her chest.

"Don't say I was your first?", Klaus continued in a saucy voice.

His eyes though held no hint of amusement- worse. It was the kind of look born to spread excitement in her body like toxin. When Elena still didn't want to say anything, but instead kept staring at him completely aghast Klaus swung his elegant legs from the bed. Like the predator he was, he was enjoying the stroll in her direction. Her muscles tensed. She was sure Klaus' eyes would give everything early enough away, that could become dangerous for her.

"I'm a little bit surprised…and honored. By now I thought Stefan-"

Elena's shoulders straightened. Her fingers clutched at her upper arms- way too hard to go unnoticed. Klaus' unnerving smile grew wider. His blue-green eyes pinned her knowingly, when he stopped only one arm's length in front of her. His voice sent an icy shudder down her overheated body: "Ahhhh…I see. So it was Damon then."

Elena only avoided his stare to confront him with a dark glare a few seconds later. He was moving on a territory that wasn't any of his god damn business and he knew it all too well.

_Just between us girls…who would you have picked?_

She was close to let the hiss go that was backing against her throat when this memory shoved itself in her mind.

"You never forget your first…" Klaus mumbled grinning, his finger playing light-hearted with the ends of her brown hair.

He rolled the strands between his fingertips, seeming totally fascinated by the soft feeling and texture. Instead of pushing his hand away Elena allowed it. She couldn't risk getting involved in a fight with him. However her eyes followed watchfully every single move, ready to take action should he overstep.

"Where is Stefan?", she asked coldly. His fingers paused. It seemed as if he was really thinking about this question.

"He left, as you demanded."

"Why was it so important for you that I take your blood?" , Elena continued with a faint growl.

Klaus looked up from her hair. His captivating, time coined eyes searched her almost kindly. "I think, you know already, don't you?"

Elena's lips twitched. "How long will it hold on?"

"Long enough to have an eye on you- apparently I can't leave that task neither to Stefan nor Damon."

"You will stay out of my head. Clear?" snapped Elena dangerously, bending nearer to his body. Hardly more than half an arm's length was keeping the space now between them. Klaus didn't move.

"I can assure you, I have no interest what-so-ever in your thoughts."

His fingers moved on from her hair down the path of her throat. As light as a feather they danced over her collarbone. Before Elena realized what she was doing, she griped his hand in a split-second, stopping him. Unyielding her eyes challenged his own. He smirked sweetly.

"You won't manipulate my memories _again_." , she said, the anger evident in her voice. "As long as this state is holding on you will stay away from me!"

His green-blue eyes narrowed slightly as if stunned. As always it was an extremely rare and an extremely funny sight to see Klaus stunned.

"Why would you think that?" , he asked, the gentleness and softness of his voice made her shiver again, but this time it wasn't the normal shiver Klaus' voice seem to cause. For one moment it would have been so easy to picture him to be someone else- maybe he really was right now. Maybe this Klaus was the Klaus he had been before he was turned into a vampire. Maybe Klaus was- and Elena wasn't sure if it was wise to let her thoughts drift further into this direction- more like her than she could ever have imagined.

"My blood isn't able to show you things you didn't experience." With obvious interest Klaus watched the irritation on her face. His lips presented an unbeatable smile. "If you hadn't had chosen to drink my blood on your own free will, this connection between us could have never been created. It allows me to be able to feel whether you're in a life threatening situation or not. An inevitable but not entirely unpleasant side effect is although that every memory and every emotion you've ever made with me will now slip right into your consciousness."

Immediately her eyes shot back to his face. The almost invisible wrinkles in the corners of his mouth laughed at her with all they were worth, a sparkle glomming in his eyes. On the outside it didn't seem to be any different than any of the other sparkles before, but in its depth Elena could detach a trace of something new, something the Original has never shown her before.

"If you've waited for the perfect moment to tell me something, love, then this might be it."

Despite of her still somewhat dazed condition Elena couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. Her mind formed a quick-witted response, but when she opened her mouth, something completely off the line burst out: "Guess I'm still dying, because-" She stopped when she realized what she was going about to say.

"Because…?"

Klaus was serious, and patient, but above all he seemed intrigued. Not a single motion betrayed what he was thinking, although he searched her with piercing eyes. Elena took a deep breath and the thought that Klaus would of course notice didn't shook her.

"I can't accept_ it_.", she stated, suddenly coming to the awareness that she still had a hold on his hand- she hadn't let go.

"What?"

Elena gave their interlocked fingers a pointed glance. "That there's something in you that's good."

Only words, nothing more, but they transported a silent meaning no gesture would have ever been able to depict. Klaus froze. Every evidence of amusement was taken from his face within heartbeats. The expression in his eyes was clear and open and oddly vulnerable. Elena swallowed. Her fingers trembled for a split-second and she freed them from his grasp, before it got worse.

"Good and evil are depending on the point of view."

If the air hadn't created a chopped-off hiss when it left his lungs, Elena would've left it at that. She couldn't control the mocking sound arching immediately against her throat.

"Like truth?"

"The only truth you have to know is the fact that there is no truth.", Klaus answered almost whispering. "Good and evil decide each for itself what's true."

Elena thought about Caroline, especially about what had happened in the night of her birthday, when Klaus all of a sudden had showed up at her front door intending to heal Caroline from the werewolf venom in her system. Such a move hadn't fitted- it hadn't fitted the profile Elena had had of him up to there. Klaus hadn't been _supposed_ to have a kind side, which was ruled by _humanly_ feelings like compassion, understanding and caring. That he had behaved that way towards Caroline had been shocking for Elena to find out. It came out of the blue, without neither a warning nor a hint. So why had he done it? Why had he saved Caroline's life? Back then Elena had been sure Klaus had commanded Tyler to bite Caroline in order for him to have the chance to be a savior, a knight in shining armor. He could have easily used this dept against them. Yet he didn't. Now she could see _why_.

"If it were so simple" , murmured Elena eventually, "than it wouldn't be so hard to hate you."

There. She did it again. Within only a few heartbeats she had made Klaus speechless. Twice. The Original opened his lips, but closed them again with the next breath. It seemed as if he was chasing after a thought he just couldn't bring down. Elena allowed herself a timidly smile consumed by sadness, when the pause was about to turn into an awkward silence.

"Okay, has anyone else the feeling that_ this_ is kind of strange?" She laughed unsurely, loosened her arms and clapped her hands. "I think it's for the best if I'm leaving now-"

"Thank you."

Right in the middle of turning away Elena froze on the spot. Utterly taken aback her eyes found Klaus.

"For your honesty.", he added with a charming smile bringing out his dimples.

Something, and although Elena had no idea where the hell it came from or how it could be there in the first place, was spreading out inside of her. It was a scary something, something she probably owed to her vampire side.

"Thanks.", she said as well, while gesticulating wildly around with her hands hoping not to lose the right words. "For Caroline. When she had been bitten by Tyler and you saved her…I've never thanked you for that."

"It was my pleasure."

Elena blinked. She almost hadn't caught his reply, because though his lips had moved hardly a tone had been able to get away.

"But you shouldn't forget one thing, _love_." Klaus continued, cold voice back in place, "I couldn't care less about your little pack of dubiously loyalty and friendship-"

"I know.", Elena interrupted in a serious tone, "I'm aware that saving my life has only the purpose to use me for some wicked plan of yours and although it scares me to not to know what exactly this is going to be I'm glad that I don't have to die." Her voice was shaking. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She really was bad at hiding. "By the way you can admit it."

Startled Klaus let one of his eyebrows travel towards north. "Admit what?"

"That you hurt."

She struggled to prevent her voice from trembling. Klaus narrowed his eyes. She was on dangerous territory. The crossing could've ended harmless if it hadn't been for what she did next. Maybe it was, because it was so reckless, so unexpected, so…human, but it came not only as a shock to her.

Elena closed the small gap between them, carefully raised her arms and welcomed Klaus in a loving embrace, something undeniable final was attached to. She had done the same to Damon once- back then, so many lives ago. Redemption. The only other thing besides trust you can only receive if someone else is giving it to.

"It hurts _so_ much that you can't keep it to yourself any longer, which means there is a part of you that is human." , she whispered into his ear while listening to the song of his heart. It wasn't her intention, but when she paused to consider what she wanted to say next, Klaus moved. Instinctively, it seemed, the hybrid leaned further into her resulting in her lips ghostly brushing against the delicate skin of his neck. He tensed, the promising spark as clearly to him as it was to her.

"I wish I hadn't seen it."Soothingly Elena's thumbs drew circles on Klaus' back. She didn't think about it. It came naturally.

Klaus didn't relax- not that she had expected him to, but she was surprised that he went along with it, that he was allowing it, that he wasn't pushing her away, that he wasn't yelling at her and, that he was returning the hug after a number of heartbeats were gone. He laid his arms slowly, almost reluctantly around her slender figure, not holding on to tight as if he thought she could break under his touch. It took all of her willpower not to give in to the desire to bury her nose into his neck. She would've lost herself- and losing herself was something she couldn't have towards the Original.

"Well, well- what do you think Stefan would have to say about this?", Klaus chuckled, the large grin obviously in his voice.

"Well, what would you want me to say?"

**Tbc**


End file.
